The falling number of foreclosure cases is good news for homeowners considering selling their homes now or in the near future.

Beginning in 2006, foreclosure filings set records for five straight years before declining in 2011. In 2012, foreclosures increased again, showing the beleaguered housing market still had a ways to go.

The rising number of distressed homes hit the market the same time the unemployment rate was soaring, causing home prices to tumble. The three-month rolling average sale price of homes in Boone, Ogle and Winnebago counties peaked in July 2006 at $147,106. By January 2012, it had fallen all the way down to $94,371.

Even though home sale totals have been on the rise — sales have increased year over year in 11 of the 17 months since the start of 2012 — the average sale price has only come up marginally. The three-month rolling average at the end of May was just $105,367.

With fewer foreclosures, which typically sell well below market value, prices should begin rising at a greater rate.